Reunion
by Travithian Axile
Summary: PostCT, ignoring CC, assuming Magus is Guile. After a long and fruitless search, Magus returns to his castle to brood. But one night someone unexpected comes knocking at his door…short and sweet.


Disclaimer: Chrono Trigger is the property of Square Enix, and I have no claim to it whatsoever, plus I am not making any money off this piece of fiction, okay?!!!

Summary: Post-CT, ignoring CC, assuming Magus is Guile. After a long and fruitless search, Magus returns to his castle to brood. But one night someone unexpected comes knocking at his door…short and sweet.

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

Chrono Trigger

Reunion

By Travithian Axile

The Forest Maze, 65 million BC

The sky was velvety black save for the stars, shining like threads of silver shot through the cloth. The air was warm and sultry, and there was an unnatural stillness in the forest, adding to its ethereal, ghostlike beauty. Even the beasts of the woods sensed they were not wanted to sully the image and slunk away within their lairs.

It was beautiful, but the man who stalked within the depths of the forest had no appreciation for it. It was a scene he would have loved to share with someone that was never far from his heart, and since she was absent, he had long lost his ability to admire beauty. But he could still remember, and did, the rare nights like this one an eternity ago when both of them snuck out of their beds and talked intimately of their dreams and hopes and loves.

All his life, she was the only one who had ever loved him for who he was, so he now dedicated his life to search for her. He well knew that this might be a journey that might never reach fruition—for she could be anywhere, any_when, _torn away from him that night everything went wrong and he had lost whatever innocence he might have had left.

But if the travelers of time had taught him something, it was to care again. After living a life of emptiness and vengeance, he had lost his purpose when that revenge was finally sated. All that was left to him was a void, filled occasionally with anger and bitterness, and for the first time it frightened him, or at least unsettled him to the point that he decided he could no longer live without her. When he was young, her smile had been his world, her every word his command, her love everything. He was certain having her at his side would fill the gap in his heart, and in the search he might find redemption for himself.

He would devote eternity to the search if need be, and if it remained incomplete upon his death, he would wander the earth as a earthbound soul to look for her.

He raised his face to the sky, and a small breeze blew the hood away from his face, running smooth, airy fingers through the sapphire hair, painted a glowing blue by the combined light of the stars and sickle moon. Slender fingers tipped with claws clenched. He missed her so much it was like having a part of him cut away, and with every second that passed without her soothing presence it hurt as the gnawing doubt in his soul grew larger, consuming his reason with frustration with every failure.

"Schala," he said her name to the wind, half-hoping that the flighty messenger would somehow bring his words to her ears. To let her know that he was looking for her. "It's me, Janus. I'll be Janus for you."

With a furious swipe, he swept his scythe in a glittering arc, splitting a tree into two and leaping lightly out of the way as it crashed down where he had been standing a moment ago. Shattering the delicate tranquility. Magus took a deep breath, the act of violence clearing his thoughts, though some part of him was appalled at the destruction. Turning his back, he walked swiftly out of the forest, the bushes rustling as monsters fled from his path, sensing within him a kindred spirit, a darker predator than they.

………...............................................................................................................................

Magus' Castle, 590 AD

The mage trekked back to his castle, seeking solace in the deep violet shadows he had created with his magic, restored by their cool, clinging touch. He had not returned for seven years, since he had removed the Mystics from his castle for good. He was amused to see that his dread reputation had apparently extended so far that none had yet entered the castle even after he had been gone so long.

He quickly lapsed back into his aura of depression, however, as he recalled that he had not found his sister. For more than a decade he had traversed the corridors of time, exploring the myriad possibilities that would never be, alternate realities, the past and the future. Searching for a single girl who had disappeared twenty years ago. Lesser men would have given up, called themselves mad. But Magus was determined to continue. Sometimes he could admit to himself it was hopeless; he had never actually seen Schala vanish into a time portal, but most of the time he just wanted to believe. If she was dead…then he had nothing left to live for.

When he had become the Magus he had thought that he could live on revenge and gain alone. Now he knew better, after the ashes of his hate were cold and buried, no longer needed for something which in the future would be killed by him and a group of time travelers.

The castle welcomed him back, and a part of him that was still Janus was briefly ashamed as he thought about what Schala would think. She had always been a child of the sunlight, carefree and light-spirited, her eyes gone golden with the sun, while her brother, even then, preferred the moon-glossed night that was as mysterious as magic. Everyone loved her, none more than he.

She will forgive me, he thought, more out of desperation than anything else. If there was one thing he could never bear, it was her disapproval. He hugged the memory of her infectious laughter to himself, thinking, that at least, he had to know.

The air was musty with dust and abandonment. He lighted a torch with a glance and carried the sputtering scone to his old study. Perhaps, if he perused the records, he might find a story of a girl who had appeared much the same way as he had. It was his last hope, when the rest of it was dying after all the false leads and old trails.

Out there, he wondered, was she looking for him too?

He reached the landing and headed into the room, sneezing as the dust was whipped skyward by the brief breeze as his cloak waltzed past. The claw-legged mirror in the corner was cracked, but he could still see his long blue hair and the red eyes that used to be lavender. He had been very proud of his hair when he was small, he remembered; only those of royal blood had the unique color, and Schala often teased him about it. When she was older and had time she would braid his hair for him despite his protests that it made him look girly. He sighed, making the weak flame in his hand shiver, and looked away.

Setting the scone into a hook on the wall, he activated a glass globe that glowed with blue light at his touch. His books were stacked neatly in a case; he was glad to see that they remained undisturbed, if the layer of dust on top of them was any indication. He removed all his histories from the shelves, and was about to sit down when there was an icy touch on his shoulder.

"What is it?" he snarled without turning.

There is…an intruder…at your gate…maaaaster… the Guardian moaned in the agony of unending life, one of the unfortunate spirits Magus had bound to do his bidding.

"Take care of him then," Magus snapped; he had virtually no patience to deal with visitors or righteous knights right now.

"There…is ssssomething different about her, maaasssster…we cannot touch her without pain…and she asked us…"

"Her?' the mage asked, surprised out of his brooding for a moment. "Alone?"

"Alone," the spirit comfimred in its hollow voice. "She…assssked usss…to show you…thissss…ssshe sssaid you would…remember…"

The Guardian stretched out a bony palm; within, something glittered like a star fallen to earth. Magus could scarcely breathe as he stared at the sparkling jewel he had only seen around the necks of two different girls; one, Marle, a princess from the future…another, a princess from the past…his past…

With trembling fingers he closed his hand around the pendant and, with a wild cry, he sprinted down half the staircase before recollecting himself and concentrated on the enchantment woven into his cloak. With a small effort the cloak billowed out and he flew down the stairs literally before hovering in front of the door. The mechanism responded to his mental probe and creaked open.

Outside, a figure cloaked in starlight and darkness stood, and the pendant in Magus' grasp flared brightly. Magus wanted to believe so much then, he would have died rather than be disappointed again.

"Schala!" he said softly in a voice trembling with emotion. "Schala!"

For a moment time stood still, then the stranger rushed forward and threw her arms about him. In the general confusion that followed her concealing hood fell back to reveal aristocratic features hardened and matured by time, but recognizable nonetheless. Her blue eyes were filled with joy.

"Janus," she breathed through her tears. "It's…it's good to see you again."

He held her out at arm's length, weeping for the first time since he had been a child. "Call me that again," he said brokenly. "Remind me who I truly am."

"Janus," she said softly.

He put an arm around her and led her into his castle. "It's a little damp, but with the right design it could be a home for us."

"Same old Janus," she laughed, falling back into easy banter.

"I'm not," he said somberly. "I've…got blood on my hands now." He looked at her, his eyes half-thrown into shadow and glowing like crimson embers.

"We've all changed, haven't we, little brother," Schala said, smiling sadly, and for the first time he really took note of the prominent lines creasing her face and around her mouth. He kissed her on the forehead on impulse, drawing her into a close embrace.

"Let's go, then," he said. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

Author's Ending Note: Instead of Magus finding Schala, she finds him. Hope you guys liked it, it's my first CT fic and I think I'll write a sequel to this, so heads up! Thanks, and please review of you have something to say. Ta!

T. Axile signing out

…………………………………………………………………………………………...


End file.
